Force-feed seeder.



PATENTED JULY 3, 1906. J. H. ULLRICK.

FORG APPLICAT E FEED SBEDER.

101v FILED JULYZG, 1905.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

EiiW

PATENTED JULY 3, 1906.

J, H. ULLRIGK. FOR

GE FEED SEEDBR.

(l Honda? same.

JACOB HENRY ULLRICK, OF NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE.

Pon es-Fest) SEEDER- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July-3, 1906.

Application filed July 26, 1905. Serial No. 271,356.-

To (1.1/7- nrimm it vmy con/corn.-

Be it known that I, Jason HENRY ULL- rtrcic, citizen of the United States, residing at Nashville, in the county of Davidson and State of Tennessee, have invented a new and useful Force-Fecd Seeder, of which the following is a specifi ation.

The seeder. The object of the present invention is to improve the construction of seeders and to provide simple and comparatively inexpensive one designed for sowing all kinds of seedsuch as grass, clover, grain, and the lil eand invention relates to a force-feed capable of insuring a steady uniform uninterrupted flow of seed, and adapted. to be readily adjusted for varying the speed of the reed n ce anism and for regulating the quantity oi the. discharge, whereby the seeder is adapted to be advantageously employed for sowing any kind of seed under any circumstances.

A furher object of the invention is to provide broadcast seeder of this character adapted to be readily operated by one person and capable of enabling the feeding mechanism to be readily thrown into and out of operation While turning it at the end of a row and while moving it from place to place.

The invention also has for its object to provide a seeder w-l'iich when set or adjusted will sow exactly the same amount per acre and disch e the same amount upon the ground trar arsed, no matter whether the secd be or small or the operator walks slow or it t or the weather be windy or not. Witt these and other objects in view the invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts, hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size, and minor details of construction within the scope of the claims may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of a broadcast seeder constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is an. inverted plan view of the seeder. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the Fig. at is a vertical sectional view taken longitudinally of the seed-hopper. Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken transversely of the seed-hopper, and Fig. 6 is a de tail perspective view of the adjustable cut-0E for controlling, the How of the seed.

Like numerals f reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings. I

1 1 designate side bars of a wheelbarrowframe, which is provided at points intermediate of the ends (if the side bars with legs 2, secured at their upper ends to the side bars by means of a transverse r0 3, having its ends threaded for the recepti n of nuts; but any other suitable means may be employed for securing the ends of the rod to the legs. The upper ends tof the legs are recessed to receive the side bars '1', which are also connected between their ends by a transverse bar 5, located in rear of andadjacent to the trans verse rod 3. The legs are supported by front and rear inclined braces 6 and 7. The front braces extend from the front ends of the side bars to the legs-and the rear braces extend upward from the rear faces of the legs to the side bars. The front terminals 8 of the braces 6, which consist of rods; are bent upwardly at an angle and are passed through the side bars and through rearwardly-extending plates or arms 9 of bearings 10 and are provided with nuts. The rear ends 11 of the braces 6 pierce the legs and the lower ends of the rear braces 7 andare rovided with nuts.

The bearings 10 eXten upwardly from the front ends of the plates or arms and fit against the front ends of the side bars and are provided at their inner faces with bearing recesses or sockets for-the reception of the ends of an axle 12, upon which is mounted a wheel 13, adapted to run on the ground and support the front of the frame similar to the wheel of an ordinary wheelbarrow.

Mounted upon the side bars at points between the legs and the wheel are approximately invertecl-U-shaped brackets 14, supporting a transversely-disposed seed-hopper 15, which may be of any desired size and which extends laterally from op osite sides of the wheelbarrow-frame, as 0 early illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The seedhopper, which may be constructed of any suitable material, comprises a bottom 16, front and rear walls 17 and 18, and end walls ICC 19, which are secured by suitable fastening devices to flanges 20 of the front and rear walls. The flanges 20 of the front and rear walls are bent at an angle and fit against the outer faces of the end walls and are provided with suitable enlargements or cars, through which pass the fastening devices 21. The

seed-hop er tapers from to to bottom and is provided with a hinged id or cover 22, The bottom of thehopper is provided at intervals with openin s 23, which communicate with a series 0 depending casings 24, having rounded bottoms and provided at their rear sides with discharge-openin s 26. The sidesof the casing are extende :and bent at their'up er edges to-form substantially L-shaped anges 27, and the spaces in closed by the flanges provide guides for outofis 28. The sides of the casings are provided with alined bearing-openings 29 for a shaft 30, which has keyed or otherwise secured to it a series of feed=rolls 31, consisting of laterally-enlarged cogs, having spirally-ar ranged ribs or teeth forming intervening spiralseed-receiving grooves 32' The space between the feed-rolls and the casing is sufficient to prevent the seed from being broken. The ends 33 of the shaft are reduced and are arranged in bearing-openings of hangerplates 34, which are secured to-and depend from the ends of the seed-hopper, as clearly shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

The seed drop from the hopper upon the feed-rolls and are carried by the same to the discharge-openin s 26 and are expelled or discharged there om in a continuous uniform uninterrupted stream, one groove beginning its discharge as the preceding groove completes its discharge.

Each cut-off is provided with a depending portion or collar 35, having a circular opening to receive the feedroll and provided with inwardly-extending approximately L-shaped lugs 36, which loosely embrace a rotary device consisting of a rosette or disk 37 and having a central 'opening and provided thereat with inwardly-extending tapering projections 38, adapted to slide in the grooves of the feed roll for varying the length of the eflective portion of the same. The disk 37, which rotates with the feed-roll, is carried by the cut-off, and as the cut-off moves inward to reduce the size of the stream of seed discharged from the hopper the disk moves imvarda'ndcorrespondingly reduces the length of the ex osed portions of the grooves of the feed-roil a The casings are provided at the top with rear slots 39, through which extend arms 40 of the cut-offs, and the said arms 40- are pro videdwith eyes fs-sthereee tion of'an o'per ating-rod 41, to which the s ides are suitably secured. The operating-rod is provided at one end with a handle 42, and it has a suitable indicator 43, designed to operate in conjunction with a scale 44 of the rear wall of the hopper. The indicator and the scale will desi nate the size of the discharge-opening of the bottom of the ho peer and will enable the operator to tell at a g ance the position of the mounted on the rod, is provided with an eye "for the reception of the same and 'is. adjustably secure screw-45.

. The shaft 30 carries a plurality of sprocket gears 46 of different diameters, and a plurality of sprocket-gears 47 are mounted on'the axle 12.v These sprocketears receive a sprocket-chain '48 of the or inary constructo the rod by means of a set-v tion,-the chain being adapted to be -trans-' ferred from one set of -sprocket}gears-to,the other for changing the speed of the feed mechanism. Any number of sprocket-gears may be employed, and by coptrolling the speedof the feed mechanism and the quantity of seed discharged *from the hopper to the feed mechanism the seeder maybe readily-arranged for sowing-any kind of seed under any circumstances. When :the machine is adjusted, itwill sow exactly the same amount overthe ground traversed, and "the uniform discharge of the seed will not be=affec'ted by the size of the same or bythe Wind or by the speed of the machine. A slow movement of themachine-will,producea correspondingly slow discharge, and a rapid movement ofthe machine will-sow the' seed rapidly. The gears of the shaft are keyed or otherwise secured to the-same, and those of the axle sliderthereon and arev provided with a clutchface 49, which isadapteditointerlock with a corresponding clutch+faee 50 I of the axle, whereby-when the latter isrotated motion will be communicated to the feed mechanism. Any suitable means may be provided for engaging the elutch-face of the slidable sprocket-gearingand :as illustrated, in the accompanying drawin s the clutchface 50 may be conveniently formedat one end of the hub. of the wheel.

The slidable gearing is operated by a shifting-lever 51, fiilcrumed between its ends on a bracket or plate 52 and having its front end 53. forked or otherwise constructed for engaging a roove of the slidable sprocketgearing. T iebracket orvplate 52 is secured to and extends from one of the'sidebars of the wheelbarrow-frame,and the other end of the shifting-lever is extended to a point within easy reach of the operator. Therearends of the side bars are shaped into handles and the shifting-lever is adapted to be operated the thumb of the operator without releashis grip on the side bars. The movable clutch face or section is thrown out of engagement with the other clutch face or section while turning the seeder at the end of a row or when it is desired to move the v seeder from one place to another. Theshifting-lever-is held against accidental movement by means of a sto 54, consisting of a lug'projecting from a p ate preferably secured to the cross-- bar 5. The shifting-lever is suficiently resilient to enable it to be sprung over the lug for engaging either of the side edges thereof.

A guard is arranged over the sprocketgearing for preventing the same from becoming clogged by dirt carried upward by the wheel 1 The guard consists of a strip of met al and is provided with a laterally-extending arm 56, which is secured to one of the side bars 1 by means of the front upwardly-extending end of the adjacent brace-rod 6. The arm 56 is Lshaped, and its inner portion extends upward to space the guard from the sprocket-gearing. The front end of the guard is curved downward and extends in advance of the sprocket-gearing.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1, In a seeder of the class described, the combination of a hopper provided with a seedopening, a grooved feed-roll, a cut-ofl located at the seed-opening, and a rotary device mounted directly on the cut-off and provided with an o ening receiving and conforming to the conhguraton of the feed-roll, said rotary device being carried by the cut-off to vary the length of the exposed portion of the feed-roll.

2. In a seeder of the class described, the combination of a hopper, a feed-roll, a cut-off provided with a depending supporting por tion, a vertically-disposed rotary device having an opening receiving the feed-roll, said rorary device being mounted on the'supporting portion of the cut-off and carried by the latter to vary the length of the exposed portion of theieed-roll.

3. In a seeder of the class desc ibed, the combination of ahopper having a scedopen 'ing, a casing, a grooved feed-roll, a horizontal cut-ofl' located at the seed-opening and provided with a depending collar encircling the feed-roll, and a rotary device having an openirg to receive the teed-roll and mounted on and carried by the collar of t-h'ecut oil to vary the length of the exposed portion of the feedroll.

4. In a seeder of the class 'desc iibed, the )I!ll')i I .ll[lUn of a hopper having afseed-opcm ing, a grooved feed-roll, a cut-off located at i he seed-opening and having a depending collar encircling the feed-roll, a rotary device mounted on the collar and having an opening :cl-eivi'; 1g and conforming to the configuration or" the feed-roll, and an operating-rod connected to the cut-off for operating the same and for adjusting the rotary device to vary the length of the exposed portior oi the l'eed roll.

5. In a seeder of the class described, the combination of a hopper, a, gred ued teedroll held against slidable movement a rotary de vice consisting of a disk having an opening to receive the feed-roll and provided with pro jecting portions extending into the-groove of the same, and a cut-ofl having opposite lugs loosely embracing the disk.

6. In seeder of the class described, the combination of a hopper having 'a seed-opening, a "feed-roll, a cut-off located at the seedopening', operating.mechanism connected to the cut-off, and means mounted directly on and carried by the cut-oil for varying the length of the exposed portion of the feed-roll.

7.In a seeder oi the class described, the combination of a hopper provided at th bottom with seed-openings, casings depending from the bottom of the hopper and having discharge openings and provided with slots, grooved feed-rolls operating within the casings, a shaft connecting the feed-rolls, cutoll's for controlling the seed-openings of the hopper, said cut-ofl's being extended through the slots of the casing and havingmeans mounted directly upon the cut-oil's for varying the length of the exposed. portions of the rolls, operating mechanism located cxteriorly oi the casings connected with the extended portions of the cutoffs, an I means for rotating the said shaft.

8. Ina seeder of the class described, tle combination of a hoppperprovided at the bot tom with seed-openings, casings depending from the hopper and having laterally-extending portions forming horizontal guides,

feed-rolls operating Within the casings, a

shaft connecting the feed-rolls, cut-oil's having horizontal portions to operatein the guides and provided with depending vertical portions located within the said casings, means mounted directly on the vertical portions of the cut-oils for exposing more or less of the feed-rolls, means for operating the cut-oil's, and gearing for rotating the said shaft.

In testimony that I'claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto allixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

' JACOB HENRY ULLRICK. \Vitnesses E. CA VER ,TnosfE. IIUGIIES. 

